COW- Cheese of the Week

Few cheeses are as versatile as fresh chèvre—pure, white goat’s milk cheese that has almost a cream cheese-like texture. The flavor is decidedly unique, often with notes of citrus, ash or herbs (you can actually find varieties rolled in crushed fresh herbs like rosemary and thyme). The cheese comes in a variety of shapes including cylinders, discs and pyramids and keeps well in the fridge, which is a nice feature because you can make a little bit of chèvre go a long way. However, once chèvre has aged beyond the point of edibility, you’ll know—it takes on a sour taste and a chalky texture.

I’ve used crumbled chèvre on salads, stuffed it in chicken breasts, made it into a pasta sauce and eaten it spread on a bagel. But until I was perusing the cheese selection at Whole Foods last week, I’d never before tried it mixed with lemon curd. It was delicious, light and tangy and especially well complimented by the rosemary crackers it was being sampled on. Give this a whirl if you need a super-fast appetizer or if you’re looking for a new way to binge on cheese all by yourself.

Fresh Chèvre and Lemon Curd

8 oz. goat cheese
4 oz. lemon curd
crackers or crostini for serving

In a small bowl, mix together the cheese and lemon curd. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.* Serve with crackers or crostini.

*Side bar- If you’re feeling really fancy, you can roll up the cheese and curd mixture in plastic wrap and form it into a log. You’ll need to chill that a little bit longer if you want it to retain it’s shape when serving.